The record buyer wishing
to purchase a budget-price set of Franck's
complete major organ works is well served
at the moment. Together with this re-issued
and re-mastered Erato recording of Marie-Claire
Alain from 1976, there is Naxos's recording
of Eric Lebrun on the unaltered Cavaillé-Coll
of St Antoine des Quinze-Vingts in Paris;
a stylish, supple, personal and all-round
excellent recording. There is also Brilliant
Classics' re-issue of Jean Guillou's
gruesome recording for Dorian, recorded
in St Eustache, now available for pennies
from a certain well-known Dutch chemist
chain, but this is easily dismissible.
Marie-Claire Alain's
performances are still as well worth
owning today as when they were originally
released. These are committed, insightful
readings of a very high quality. Sometimes
her tempi, seen from the post-Joel-Marie
Facquet world of 2004 seem a bit sluggish.
However she never exaggerates at the
slow end of the tempo-spectrum in a
mis-guided attempt to conjure the mythical
world of the 'père angélique',
something so many organists are guilty
of, especially for example at the beginning
of the Grand Pièce Symphonique
or in the Prière. In addition,
I find her readings sometimes a little
too calculated, but this is very much
a matter of taste.
Alain chose as her
instrument one of the mildest and most
beautiful larger Cavaillé-Colls,
a relatively late (1879) instrument
in St François-de-Sales in Lyon,
(3/45). It is, it goes without saying,
perfectly suited to Franck's music.
Unfortunately no specification is included.
This is not acceptable. Lucid and interesting
programme notes from Alain are however
included and although my recommendation
would still be for Lebrun (just), these
ensure that Apex's release is well worth
having.
Chris Bragg